fireflymedic Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Food in patient compartment is a direct OSHA violation. I would NOT want to be caught like that. Plus possible contamination issue with IV fluids yeah, I'd say if the state found out you would have some major issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC MedicMike Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 When I was on the road touring with bands, one lead singer -- who shall remain nameless -- bought several pounds of crawfish to bring back to Texas from Louisiana. She stuck them in the microwave to keep them from stinking up the bus. Then she forgot about them when we got back to Texas, and they festered in the microwave, in Texas summer weather, for a week. When we got back into the bus the next weekend, we about died from the smell. You would NOT want to be remembered for doing that in an ambulance! You were a roadie for Janice Joplin?!? Man! The stories you could tell.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizonaffcep Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Yeah I think that is about right. What would happen if you put them in there had a code or bad MCI and forgot about them? Could become a major issue. Why? The added cholesterol from the cheesesteak wouldn't do anything to a dead guy... So I was on a long transport and I picked up some food (A couple cheese steaks from Pat's). I didn't want them to get cold, so I put them in the IV warmer. I thought it was a great idea. Until day shift came in to do their truck check and asked me why the MICU smelled like cheese steaks. +5 for creativity... -5 for not thinking it out! Ya...it's an OSHA/DHS violation here...actually to eat ANYWHERE in an ambo in AZ (read as: back or the cab). Can carry food, no problem. Just can't eat it. An ambo that smells like cheese steaks...I can certainly think of a LOT worse smells than that in the back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchitymedic1986 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 There are lots of OSHA violations that occur everyday in EMS, so that wouldnt be my first concern. What you should do is get a culturette from your local hospital lab, and swab the inside of the cooler to see what is growing that you cant see. Then you will see what you should be worried about. Most ambulances smell like a cross between ass and french fries, so what harm could a cheesesteak do ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBEMT Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 '' Personally I say yes its wrong because that is a peice of medical equipement it is an infection control issue. Infection control issue? What the HELL are you sticking in the IV warmer? I'd wager that the bag warmer is probably the CLEANEST place on most ambulances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireMedic65 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 The best time to visit Jim's is a summer evening. After eating the culinary equivalent of Nirvana you then walk it off by sauntering through South Street whilst people watching and visiting all the quaint boutique stores. You can finish up by visiting any one of the bars or restaurants on the street, although this is a personal favorite of mine: http://www.gethappypub.com/ WM Next time you are in the states, let me know. That sounds like a good time for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itku2er Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Infection control issue? What the HELL are you sticking in the IV warmer? I'd wager that the bag warmer is probably the CLEANEST place on most ambulances. The CLEANEST but not STERILE. What about the gloved hand you put in there to pull the IV bag out of the warmer it doesnt have any germs on it that could infect the other contents of the warmer? I could list more examples. It only takes one act that you do not think about that you do every day that can effect the whole picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RatPack Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Please could you refrence a case in which a certification was lost for food in the pt compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentMedic Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Please could you refrence a case in which a certification was lost for food in the pt compartment. Have you even been present for an inspection by various agencies? If not, your company will be wise to educate you on the Federal and State regulations. This is all spelled out very clearly in any state statute for certification of an ambulance. Also, many states now do publish the list of ambulance violations on their websites just as when an EMT(P) has a violation of some type. This information is also made available to any facility when contract negotiations are being considered. Here are a few citations which the food products can also come under the blood borne pathogen safety violation. You can also find out more information by taking one of mandatory OSHA courses offered for other healthcare professionals. The issue is food in a patient compartment exposes the employee to infectious contaminants as well as the patient. http://osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_d...&p_id=10725 http://enviro.blr.com/news.aspx?id=15040 http://www.apsta.org/laws-fines.html http://www.isips.org/reports/Articles/MIC0106p14.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBEMT Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 The CLEANEST but not STERILE. Newsflash- neither is wherever the food was made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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